For far too long, the federal government has prevented most farmers from growing hemp. Although it was a foundational part of Kentucky’s heritage and today you can buy products made with hemp at stores across the country, most farmers have been barred from planting it in their fields.

Changing a commonwealth long mired in poverty perpetuated by misguided policies designed to satisfy voracious appetites for ever-more government programs, dollars and dependency takes more than a single election and politicians whose top priority is maneuvering simply to survive voters’ next trip to the polls.